As the economy improved and the devastating depression eased, villages and cities could once more financially support their public libraries. The East Troy Public Library remained on the second floor over the police station. (Ironically, my father’s family Andrew Peter Prasch, Julia, and my dad William, had lived in these same three rooms until 1926.)
The small hall at the top of the stairs led to a door to the library of three rooms. Immediately upon entering the library area was a large silver pot-bellied stove to the left. Just past the stove there was a door to another room which only had a safe floor a few feet into it. A long table for repairing books plus shelves for storing materials were on the safe part of the flooring. The middle room held the checkout desk, file cabinets, card catalog, and a second desk. The shelving within this room held adult fiction and non-fiction books. The third room faced the square, and the front and western windows presented a cheery room. This shelving held the children and youth books, reference books, and government publications. Tables and chairs were available for both people’s reference work and a reading area.
Helen Ebert was the library director, and her assistant was Mrs. Pegee. The summer before 7th grade I was able to obtain a work permit to work in the library. My mom and I were avid readers, and we always were great patrons of the library. This library job was one I enjoyed through high school. I generally worked Saturdays, but we were also open Wednesday evenings, which I occasionally worked. Repairing and reshelving books were my usual tasks. However, in those days there were no Large Print books. An elderly patron was having difficulty reading the smaller print in the adult books. I really enjoyed selecting some of the youth books with larger print for her over the years. She enjoyed the many biographies we had purchased for our teens. Mrs. Ebert did rebuild the selections of books for all ages. More people now used the library because newer editions and a larger variety of books were added to the collection.
This location, however, posed problems. An inventory of the collection was taken during the month of January each year. The heat from that pot-bellied stove did not reach the front room. We could only handle those books for a short time before we and our fingers were freezing. Inventory was a long cold process. There was no water supply or bathroom available to patron or staff on the second floor. Water and bathrooms below the bandstand were the only availability. The steep stairs were also a handicap for many people. It became a necessity for the Village Board to study and find another location.
In 1957 the library was moved into the first floor of the Hibbert House located in the first block on North Division Street. This building was larger, had a water supply and bathrooms, and only a few steps up to the porch area to access the library. It was spacious and inviting. More patron activities, a larger reading and reference area, and additional shelving were available.
But, this too, became too small as the role of the public library was evolving during these years. What began as a place to check out a book had expanded to a larger educational and outreach to the public. Activities for children/teens, meetings for the public, technology advances, more space for books, tapes, CDs, and classes on topics such as ancestry, computers, available public meeting room, plus summer programs were strengthening the role of the public library within a community.
The next move in 1981 was to its present building, which was formerly owned by the Lions Club. Broadening the scope of a public library continues today. I am confident that the East Troy Public Library enthusiastically adopts and adapts to the new outreaches for the area residents.
May 21, 2025 | Written By: Mary Prasch Paetsch
